NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` I was a walking time bomb . I knew I had to get on that plane if I wanted to be around to see my grandkids . ''

Sandra Giustina is rolled into surgery to correct her atrial fibrillation at Max Hospital in New Dehli , India .

Sandra Giustina is a 61-year-old uninsured American . For three years she saved her money in hopes of affording heart surgery to correct her atrial fibrillation . `` They -LSB- U.S. hospitals -RSB- told me it would be about $ 175,000 , and there was just no way could I come up with that , '' Giustina said .

So , with a little digging online , she found several high quality hospitals vying for her business , at a fraction of the U.S. cost . Within a month , she was on a plane from her home in Las Vegas , Nevada , to New Delhi , India . Surgeons at Max Hospital fixed her heart for `` under $ 10,000 total , including travel . ''

Giustina is just one of millions around the world journeying outside their native land for medical treatment , a phenomenon known as `` medical tourism . '' Experts say the trend in global health care has just begun . Next year alone , an estimated 6 million Americans will travel abroad for surgery , according to a 2008 Deloitte study . `` Medical care in countries such as India , Thailand and Singapore can cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of comparable care in the United States , '' the report found .

Companies such as Los Angeles-based Planet Hospital are creating a niche in the service industry as medical travel planners . One guidebook says that more than 200 have sprung up in the last few years . `` We find the best possible surgeons and deliver their service to patients safely , affordably and immediately , '' said Rudy Rupak , president of Planet Hospital . `` No one should have to choose between an operation to save their life or going bankrupt . ''

Planet Hospital , which works with international clients as well as Americans , books patients ' travel and arranges phone interviews with potential surgeons . Patients are greeted by a company representative at the airport in the country where they 've chosen to be treated ; a 24-hour personal `` patient concierge '' is also provided , a level of service that 's standard among many of the top medical travel planning companies . Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta meet some medical tourists ''

`` Our patient concierge was amazing , '' said Giustina . `` He came to the hospital every day , gave us his personal -LSB- telephone -RSB- number and after my operation , he arranged private tours of India . '' Just two days post-op , Giustina and her husband , Dino , toured local markets and landmarks including the Presidential Palace and the Taj Mahal .

`` I was able to fix my heart and tour India , which is something I thought I 'd never do . ''

Walk through a patient wing at Max Hospital in New Delhi on any given day and you 're likely to see people from around the world . In one visit , CNN met patients from the United Kingdom , Nigeria , Jordan , Afghanistan and the United States . They 're alike in choosing surgery abroad , but their reasons differ .

Many South Asians and Africans said they travel abroad because they do not have access to care in their homeland .

Some Canadians and Europeans said they chose to travel aboard , despite having national health plans , because they are tired of waiting -- sometimes years -- for treatment .

Patients from the Middle East said they come to India because the technology as well as the staff is more advanced .

For most Americans CNN spoke to , it came down to finding the best value . `` If I could have afforded my procedure in the United States , I would have taken it , but that was not my option , '' Giustina said . `` I had to get online and look for a Plan B. '' Read about hot destinations for medical tourism

The private hospitals in India market themselves as having upscale accommodations , Western-trained surgeons and state-of-the-art medical equipment .

CNN spent time at Max Healthcare in New Delhi and saw operating rooms similar to those in many U.S. hospitals . If fact , Max 's neurosurgery room had an inter-operative MRI scanner , which is technology hardly seen at hospitals in the United States .

The lobby had marble floors , a book café , coffee station and a Subway sandwich shop . The patient suites were equipped with flat screen TVs , DVD players and Wi-Fi . This hospital also catered to families traveling together . The suites had adjoining rooms with a kitchenette , coffee maker and a sofa bed .

Max neurosurgeon Dr. Ajaya Jha said the hospital can provide high-quality care at low prices because the staff work hard to cut waste . Watch Dr. Gupta visit an Indian spice market ''

`` I 've seen hospitals in the U.S. where they open up something costing $ 10,000 and say , ` Oh it 's not working . OK , give me another one . ' We would never do that here . Even for 100 rupees -LRB- about $ 2 -RRB- -- we would say , `` Do we need to open this suture ? Do we need to open this gauze ? ' We are very conscious of cost . ''

Hospital officials negotiate hard to keep costs low for high-tech medical machinery and other supplies , Jha said . `` In the U.S. people are making careers out of carrying laptops and documenting things that are not really useful in the long term for the patient . ''

The salary of a U.S. surgeon is five times that of a surgeon in India . `` We -LSB- surgeons in India -RSB- want to make a profit , but we do n't want to profiteer . We do n't want squeeze people and I think American industries should also think that way , '' Jha said .

Critics of medical tourism warn patients to be diligent when researching treatment aboard . `` I 've found that industry voices tend to crowd out those of us who are more cautious about the legal risks , '' said Nathan Cortez , assistant law professor at Southern Methodist University , who is conducting a case study investigating what legal recourse patients have outside America .

Patients do n't think about their legal vulnerabilities , Cortez said . `` Some countries limit patient access to medical records so they ca n't really learn what happened during the surgery . And a lot of practitioners in other countries just refuse to give you your medical records . So people have to weigh the risk versus benefits . ''

While most tourism patients from America are uninsured , major U.S. insurance companies are considering providing `` medical tourism '' coverage to their customers . Several have already launched pilot programs .

`` I think what 's really important about medical tourism is that you make the choice for what 's right for you and what 's important to them , '' said a spokesman for U.S. health insurer WellPoint Inc. .

Experts say that every patient considering traveling abroad for surgery should inquire about postoperative care , legal rights and the safety standards and certifications of the hospital . Foreign health care providers should be willing to discuss the procedure and answer question ahead of time .

`` What really helped me feel good about the process was that my doctor in the U.S. spoke to the cardiologist in India prior to my trip , '' said Giustina . `` They were so open about everything ; I knew I 'd be in good hands . ''

Just weeks from returning from abroad , Giustina says she has only one regret , `` I should n't have waited so long ! I feel like a new person again , no more pain . ''

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Study : More than 6 million from U.S. will travel abroad for treatment in the next year

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Companies creating a niche in the service industry as medical travel planners

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Hospitals market upscale accommodations , Western-trained surgeons